Doctor Who: Birth of a Doctor
by Chronarch
Summary: When Theta Sigma is reflecting on the beauty of Gallifrey, a knock on the door will change his life forever. The Untempered Schism awaits, things will never be the same again.


THE BIRTH OF A DOCTOR

_"Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad." ~ The Doctor_

Theta Sigma never grew tired of seeing the suns set over the horizon of the great Citadel. He stood upon the balcony of his room; staring out at the midnight sky.

The sky itself was burnt orange; from the balcony Thete could see vast forests of green trees - now glowing golden as the last drop of sunset on the edge of the world glinted over the horizon. The leaves on the ground were silver, stretching out far across the land up to bronze-tinted lakes. Thete thought of his friend, _Koschei_, he hadn't seen him since the morning before when they were calling up at the sky on the plains of Mount Perdition.

As the suns finally departed from sight and the clouds turned grey, Thete felt a cold breeze wash over him; as he was reminded of events yet to come. For he had reached the age of eight recently and that meant it was time for his initiation.

The child looked around his room; the room was made out of finely carved Gallifreyan wood from the Great Forests of Rassilon - as were most rooms of the _Prydon Academy. _His wardrobe boasted several inventions he'd started making throughout his time in the Academy. Thete walked up to his wardrobe and picked up a small black box, the metal felt cold as his hands fiddled with the ancient Gallifreyan lock. Inside was something he'd only ever shown one person - a piece of TARDIS coral he'd stolen from Master Borusa's office.

He looked at it fondly and silently vowed to himself: _"One day, I'll have a fully grown one of these... One day I'll get away from here and out into the universe."_

Looking inside a draw, Thete pulled out what looked like blueprints for future inventions. He pocketed one specific blueprint he was particularly fond of, a device that could unlock any door, lock or override any non-deadlocked system in the universe.

Thete sat down on his bed, he had no intention of going to sleep - this was a night he would remember for the rest of his days. Suddenly, his blood ran cold; Thete's breathing became rapid gasps as he felt his two hearts beating faster... _tap-tap-tap-tap... tap-tap-tap-tap... _

There was a knock on the door.

"_Theta Sigma, it is time for you to find your place in creation. Come, the time is at hand."_

Borusa stood at the foot of Thete's door; he was wearing ceremonial silver robes that flowed from his chest to the ground, he also had the iconic mantle on his back - it formed an arc that curved round in a semi-circle until it split into two halves in the middle. Thete took into account how different he looked - somehow younger - his face was different and yet... Thete _definitely_ knew it was Borusa...

The Headmaster was flanked by two other Time Lords standing behind him, they both wore the usual red and orange-gold robes that Thete had become so accustomed to seeing.

Thete felt fear welling up inside him; Borusa walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come along, child. Your destiny lies ahead, you'll be back here sooner than you think."

The scared and shivering child wasn't entirely sure what Borusa had meant by that, however he plucked up what courage remained inside him and let his mentor guide him out.

There was a chilling breeze that seemed to cling onto Thete as he trudged through the grounds of the Academy. They were walking over a large stone bridge that separated the Academy itself from the grounds; Thete looked across at the mountains capped with snow standing hundreds of miles away - each one looking down on the child.

Thete looked over at a small cottage that he didn't really want to look at; he remembered learning about psychic perception filters - telepathic effects that would shift visual perception away from the object the filter was cast on. The child persevered and focused his mind on the cottage, looking through the window... Inside he saw a Woman; she was wearing a pale white dress and was looking pitifully back at him. Thete was given a gentle push and he started walking again.

"Theta Sigma of the _House of Lungbarrow_, you are now faced with a choice," Borusa exclaimed.

"You must choose one of two options: Carry on round the next corner to your initiation, or return home... Either way, your life will change indefinitely."

Thete considered this, he really wanted to go home, to feel the warmth of a log-fire again as he sat down with Koschei and talked about their plans to leave Gallifrey. However, the image of the Woman was fresh in his mind... Her expression filling him up, something about her was inspiring him to go onwards.

"I... I _want_ to continue," Thete said.

"Very well, Theta Sigma. Round this corner you shall gaze into the Untempered Schism, a gap in the fabric of reality where you shall see the whole of time and space, all that creation has to offer you. I shall guide you," Borusa put his hand on Thete's shoulder again as they trudged down a concrete path.

Ahead, Thete saw a dozen adult Time Lords all carrying flaming torches. They looked as if they were stone, standing fixed to the spot and muttering in Old High-Gallifreyan as a kind of vigil.

"_Blessings upon Theta Sigma of the House of Lungbarrow, this one shall look into the mind of Rassilon; the power of Omega and the heart of the Other."_

The Time Lords all raised their torches up high, Thete found himself slowly pacing towards a circular dish that was floating about half-a-metre above the ground, below that was a bronze plaque that bore the Seal of Rassilon. His eyes widened as he focused on the dish, the image of a swirling vortex appeared.

It pierced him like a dagger; a spark ignited his bones as Thete dropped to his knees in agony. He was transfixed upon the vortex, the tunnel of time that faced him showing off vibrant colours of blue, green, yellow, orange and red made Thete feel like he'd had a million needles put through his head.

He turned to look at Borusa, but his mentor wasn't there. All around him, the Time Lords had their flesh stripped from their bodies; blood covered the floor as everything around him _burned_.

Pain. Agony. Anger. Destruction. Screaming. Explosions... No more sunsets, no more trees, no more home! Nothing, there was nothing and yet there was everything. Running. Fighting. Killing. Family. Friends. Love. Hatred. Betrayal. Silence. Darkness.

Thete's mind fragmented, he was screaming for the torture to stop. He saw his home falling out of the sky; in his hand he held a weapon... The weapon that would end it all... He felt so hungry, he held out his hand and felt another take hold of it: A girl's. But she let go, they _all_ let go! Tears ran down his face for her as she drifted off into the abyss that was nothingness.

Images inside his head changed, images of someone who wasn't him and yet was. A Time Lord, one of the founders of Gallifrey fleeing into the Looms as the menacing figure of Rassilon stood laughing at him. _Rassilon!_ The name sent ripples of anger through the clouds, sweat ran down his forehead as everything around him exploded and vanished with a single word that echoed through his head.

"_EXTERMINATE!"_

Thete awoke in the arms of Borusa, very different to the skeletal figure he'd seen in the vision... Everything was as it was before, quiet, peaceful, tranquil.

"Tell me what you saw, Theta," the Time Lord asked gently.

Thete scrambled out of his grasp, his mind began to burn again. He began screaming in anger and fear.

"No! _NO!_" Thete started to run, his legs moving as fast as they could. He felt voices calling back at him but he ignored them.

"No! No more suffering, no more death... I am not Theta anymore; I don't _want_ to be him! I'll help people, make them better, and make everyone better! I'll be a doctor, not Theta, _no more Theta!_ Just Doctor, I AM THE DOCTOR!"

The Time Lord's voice had dropped to a hoarse cry, he'd run for miles and could run no more. He dropped to his knees and lay face down in a small field of crimson grass, stretching out his hand which hit the surface of a lake.

He looked deeply into the watery depths and saw faces appear around him; happy faces; smiling faces. They no longer made him feel mad; these were the people the Doctor would come to love over the years, those he would keep safe.

The Doctor looked down at his own shimmering form and smiled. For even with the weight he would unwittingly carry over the course of a millennia, there was always good in the universe to do him right. He sat on his back, looking up at the midnight sky: panting.

"_I am the Doctor."_


End file.
